Evaluation of 3D-printed plastics for Ultra-High Vacuum applications : Outgassing, and residual gas analysis
(2025) In Vacuum 233.- Abstract
The demand for cost- and time-effective and customizable components for High Vacuum (HV) and Ultra-High Vacuum (UHV) systems has prompted exploration into the application of 3D-printing technology. This study investigates the viability of utilizing 3D-printed plastics in UHV environments by evaluating their outgassing properties. An extensive evaluation of 3D-printing materials was carried out, highlighting the best polymer candidates using two of the most common 3D-printing techniques, Fused Deposition Modelling (Crump, 1992; Upcraft and Fletcher, 2003) [1,2] and Stereolithography (Hull, 1986; Upcraft and Fletcher, 2003) [2,3]. Further experimental investigations were conducted to assess the performance of select 3D-printed plastics... (More)
The demand for cost- and time-effective and customizable components for High Vacuum (HV) and Ultra-High Vacuum (UHV) systems has prompted exploration into the application of 3D-printing technology. This study investigates the viability of utilizing 3D-printed plastics in UHV environments by evaluating their outgassing properties. An extensive evaluation of 3D-printing materials was carried out, highlighting the best polymer candidates using two of the most common 3D-printing techniques, Fused Deposition Modelling (Crump, 1992; Upcraft and Fletcher, 2003) [1,2] and Stereolithography (Hull, 1986; Upcraft and Fletcher, 2003) [2,3]. Further experimental investigations were conducted to assess the performance of select 3D-printed plastics under UHV conditions, focusing on their low outgassing and resistance to baking temperatures. Furthermore, residual gas analysis was used to evaluate the materials compatibility with Non-Evaporable Getter coated systems and possible presence of other contaminants. The findings suggest that certain 3D-printed plastics exhibit promising characteristics for use in HV and UHV systems, with notable examples including cyclic olefin copolymer and polyetheretherketone along with Rigid 10K and Tullomer™. A comparison between machined and 3D-printed parts demonstrated that challenges such as porosity and surface roughness showed not to be a cause of great concern.
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- author
- Domingues, Artur LU ; Martínez-Carboneres, Ana LU and Carlson, Stefan LU
- organization
- publishing date
- 2025-03
- type
- Contribution to journal
- publication status
- published
- subject
- keywords
- 3D-printing, COC, FDM, Outgassing, PEEK, Rigid 10K, SLA, Tullomer™, Ultra-High Vacuum
- in
- Vacuum
- volume
- 233
- article number
- 113970
- publisher
- Elsevier
- external identifiers
-
- scopus:85213518460
- ISSN
- 0042-207X
- DOI
- 10.1016/j.vacuum.2024.113970
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- yes
- additional info
- Publisher Copyright: © 2024 The Authors
- id
- 0920c7f0-3e4a-4c91-82a0-2a764401c868
- date added to LUP
- 2025-03-13 16:24:12
- date last changed
- 2025-04-04 15:06:23
@article{0920c7f0-3e4a-4c91-82a0-2a764401c868,
abstract = {{<p>The demand for cost- and time-effective and customizable components for High Vacuum (HV) and Ultra-High Vacuum (UHV) systems has prompted exploration into the application of 3D-printing technology. This study investigates the viability of utilizing 3D-printed plastics in UHV environments by evaluating their outgassing properties. An extensive evaluation of 3D-printing materials was carried out, highlighting the best polymer candidates using two of the most common 3D-printing techniques, Fused Deposition Modelling (Crump, 1992; Upcraft and Fletcher, 2003) [1,2] and Stereolithography (Hull, 1986; Upcraft and Fletcher, 2003) [2,3]. Further experimental investigations were conducted to assess the performance of select 3D-printed plastics under UHV conditions, focusing on their low outgassing and resistance to baking temperatures. Furthermore, residual gas analysis was used to evaluate the materials compatibility with Non-Evaporable Getter coated systems and possible presence of other contaminants. The findings suggest that certain 3D-printed plastics exhibit promising characteristics for use in HV and UHV systems, with notable examples including cyclic olefin copolymer and polyetheretherketone along with Rigid 10K and Tullomer™. A comparison between machined and 3D-printed parts demonstrated that challenges such as porosity and surface roughness showed not to be a cause of great concern.</p>}},
author = {{Domingues, Artur and Martínez-Carboneres, Ana and Carlson, Stefan}},
issn = {{0042-207X}},
keywords = {{3D-printing; COC; FDM; Outgassing; PEEK; Rigid 10K; SLA; Tullomer™; Ultra-High Vacuum}},
language = {{eng}},
publisher = {{Elsevier}},
series = {{Vacuum}},
title = {{Evaluation of 3D-printed plastics for Ultra-High Vacuum applications : Outgassing, and residual gas analysis}},
url = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.vacuum.2024.113970}},
doi = {{10.1016/j.vacuum.2024.113970}},
volume = {{233}},
year = {{2025}},
}